FOXBOROUGH -- Early in the season, when Emmanuel Sanders was running wild on opposing defenses and Brandon LaFell was struggling to carve out a role in the sputtering Patriots offense, fans wondered if the Pats had signed the wrong wide receiver.

As outlined by CSNNE's Tom E. Curran this past October, the Patriots were in the mix for Sanders and the Broncos had "huge interest" in LaFell during free agency. Curran discovered that Sanders became a Bronco because the Broncos were done waiting for LaFell.

Now, almost a year later, it's clear the Patriots have benefitted greatly from the LaFell signing. As dynamic a playmaker as Sanders has been, it's clear that LaFell added a different, much-needed dimension to the Pats offense.

"He’s a big, strong guy, so he has that physical element to his game," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said Wednesday. "We haven’t always had the biggest guys at receiver here, but having someone like that, who can really bring a little more of that physical presence at that position brings an edge to it. I think he’s had that since he got here and, like I said, he’s fought through some injuries this year, been mentally tough, never complains, always does what you ask him to do, even though it may not be the most glamorous thing, he just wants to do it to help the team win. It’s a great trait."

Brady also discussed LaFell's ability as a blocker, pointing out the block he made Saturday that allowed Danny Amendola to leap into the endzone for the first of his two scores.

LaFell's 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame has consistently provided Brady with a big target on the outside. The fifth-year receiver out of LSU established career-highs in receptions (74), targets (119), yards (953) and touchdowns (7).

"He’s really impressive," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "He’s a tough kid, competes very well. We’ve seen that since back into last spring, all the way through training camp, all the way through the season. He comes to work every day and he’s tough. He can play through the bumps and bruises. He blocks well, plays in the kicking game. I love his toughness."

Earlier in the week, Brady told WEEI that LaFell was "the toughest guy I've ever played with." He expanded on that opinion Wednesday.

"Say even early in the year it was – whenever you get a new player, it’s hard to really figure out exactly how it shows up on game day until you get to game day and see how it shows up," Brady said. "In training camp there’s no tackling. Mental toughness comes into play a little bit during training camp, but not much. The games don’t matter. When you really see what someone is all about is when it matters. And when they’re not feeling good and when you’ve been at it for awhile, you can really see what someone’s character is. It’s been great to see. Certainly him showing up last week and fighting through some injuries to get to the game and then for him to make a game-winning catch was pretty sweet."